This study examines how child and adolescent referrals to psychiatric child and youth clinics are associated with ethnicity and neighbourhood of residence. Four sources of referrals are examined: family referrals, social/legal agency referrals, school referrals and health/mental health referrals. Referrals of 2054 children aged 11-19 from the Stockholm Child-Psychiatric Database were studied using multilevel logistic regression. Results indicate the importance of ethnicity for child and adolescent referrals to psychiatric child and youth clinics. Family referrals were more common among children and adolescents of Swedish background than among those of immigrant background. Referrals by social/legal agencies were more common among children and adolescents of African and Asian background, while children of Asian or South American background were more likely to have been referred by schools or by the health/mental health care sector. A significant neighbourhood effect was found only in relation to family referrals (i.e. it was more likely to be referred to psychiatric child and youth clinics by the family in some neighbourhoods than in other neighbourhoods). These
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findings have significant implications for the design and evaluation of community mental health outreach programs and should be considered when developing strategies intended to help children and adolescents with mental health problems.
Victimization and Violent Crime among Children and Ad